Method and system for improved media distribution

ABSTRACT

This disclosure describes methods and systems for improved media distribution. More specifically, this disclosure sets forth methods and systems for distributing video to a third party.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of and claims priority fromco-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/777,187, filed Jul. 12,2007, entitled “Method and System for Improved Media Distribution,”which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

Increasingly, media content authors are publishing media objects such asvideo on websites such as YOUTUBE and MYSPACE. In many cases,particularly for amateur and independent media content authors, anarduous and manual process is required for distributing and sellingmedia content to consumers. Media content authors often do not know, orlack the resources to identify, what consumers would be interested intheir creations. For example, due in part to an ever-increasing volumeof media content made available over the Internet, consumers (i.e., filmfestival reviewers) are increasingly unable to view all media contentthat meets certain criteria (i.e., eligibility for a film festival).

SUMMARY

This disclosure describes methods and systems for distributing videoclips and other media objects in a seamless way. In one example (whichexample is intended to be illustrative and not restrictive), the presentinvention may be considered a method for improved media distribution.The method includes identifying a video clip matching at least onedistribution criteria. The method further includes notifying at leastone author of the video clip that the video clip may be distributed viaone or more distribution channels to a third party. The method furtherincludes receiving a distribution request from the at least one author,the distribution request identifying a first distribution channel fromthe one or more distribution channels. The method also includesdistributing the video clip via the first distribution channel to thethird party.

In one aspect of the method, the first distribution channel comprises acourier service. In another aspect, the method further includesdistributing the first distribution channel and, on the basis ofdistribution, comprises embodying the video clip within a physicalmedium, and delivering the physical medium to the courier service fordelivery to the third party. In another aspect of the method, the firstdistribution channel is the Internet. In another aspect, the methodfurther includes distributing the video clip via the first distributionchannel and, on the basis of distribution, comprises transmitting thevideo clip via the Internet to the third party. In another aspect of themethod, the video clip is streamed via the Internet to the third party.In another aspect of the method, the third party is a consumer. Inanother aspect, the method includes notifying the at least one authorand, on the basis of notification, further comprises notifying the atleast one author of at least one fee associated with distributing thevideo clip via the one or more distribution channels. In another aspect,the method includes receiving compensation from the at least one authorfor the step of distributing the video clip to the third party. Inanother aspect, the method further comprises transforming the video clipfrom a first format into a second format that is substantially differentfrom the first format. In another aspect, the method includes receivingcompensation from the at least one author for the step of transformingthe video clip. In another aspect of the method, the distributionrequest identifies a second distribution channel from the one or moredistribution channels and, on the basis of identification, furthercomprises distributing the video clip via the second distributionchannel. In another aspect, the method further includes receiving afirst level of compensation from the at least one author for the step ofdistributing the video clip via the first distribution channel. Inanother aspect, the method further includes receiving a second level ofcompensation from the at least one author for the step of distributingthe video clip via the second distribution channel. In another aspect,the method includes identifying a video clip matching at least onedistribution criteria and, on the basis of identification, furthercomprises identifying a popularity value corresponding to consumption ofthe video clip by at least one consumer. In another aspect of themethod, the popularity value is a number of consumption events by the atleast one consumer. In another aspect, the method includes identifying apopularity value and, on the basis of identification, comprisescomparing the consumption of the video clip by at least one consumerwith the consumption of another video clip. In another aspect, themethod includes identifying a video clip matching at least onedistribution criteria and, on the basis of identification, furthercomprises identifying the number of times the video clip was rendered byat least one consumer. In another aspect, the method includesidentifying a video clip matching at least one distribution criteriaand, on the basis of identification, further comprises identifying thelength of the video clip. In another aspect, the method includesidentifying a video clip matching at least one distribution criteriaand, on the basis of identification, further comprises identifyinginformation corresponding to the at least one author of the video clip.

In another example (which example is intended to be illustrative and notrestrictive), the present invention may be considered a system fordistributing video. The system includes a video datastore that containsat least one video clip. The system also includes a notification modulethat notifies a first user associated with the at east one video clipthat the at least one video clip may be distributed via at least onedistribution channel to a second user. The system still further includesa request module that, in response to notifying the first user about theat least one distribution channel, receives from the first user arequest to distribute the at least one video clip via the at least onedistribution channel. The system yet further includes a distributionmodule that distributes the at least one video clip via the at least onedistribution channel to the second user.

In one aspect of the system, the distribution module distributes the atleast one video clip in response to receiving a request from the seconduser to distribute the at least one video clip. In another aspect of thesystem, the at least one distribution channel comprises the Internet. Inanother aspect of the system, the notification module notifies the firstuser of at least one fee associated with distributing the at least onevideo clip. In another aspect of the system, the first user associatedwith the at least one video clip authored the at least one video clip.

In another example (which example is intended to be illustrative and notrestrictive), the present invention may be considered a method fordistributing video. The method includes receiving, from at least oneauthor of a video clip, a request to distribute the video clip to atleast one consumer, the request identifying at least one distributionchannel for distributing the video clip to the at least one consumer.The method also includes distributing, via the at least one distributionchannel, the video clip to the at least one consumer.

In one aspect, the method includes receiving, from the at least oneconsumer, compensation for the step of distributing the video clip. Inanother aspect, the method includes transferring at least a part of thecompensation to the at least one author of the video clip. In anotheraspect, the method includes receiving, from the at least one author ofthe video clip, compensation for the step of distributing the video clipIn another aspect of the method, distributing the video clip to the atleast one consumer includes distribution of digital rights informationassociated with the video clip. In another aspect of the method, thedigital rights information permits the at least one consumer to furtherdistribute the video clip to at least a second consumer. In anotheraspect, the method includes identifying the at least one distributionchannel to the at least one author of the video clip. In another aspectof the method, the at least one distribution channel comprises a courierservice. In another aspect, the method includes distributing the videoclip via the at least one distribution channel and, on the basis ofdistribution, further comprises embodying the video clip within aphysical medium, and delivering the physical medium to the courierservice for delivery to the at least one consumer. In another aspect ofthe method, the at least one distribution channel is the Internet. Inanother aspect, the method includes distributing the video clip via theat least one distribution channel and, on the basis of distribution,further comprises transmitting the video clip via the Internet to the atleast one consumer. In another aspect of the method, the video clip isstreamed via the Internet to the at least one consumer. In anotheraspect, the method includes receiving a request from the at least oneauthor and, on the basis of reception, further includes notifying the atleast one author of at least one fee associated with distributing thevideo clip via the at least one distribution channel. In another aspect,the method includes receiving compensation from the at least one authorfor the step of distributing the video clip to the at least oneconsumer. In another aspect, the method includes transforming the videoclip from a first format into a second format that is substantiallydifferent from the first format. In another aspect, the method includesreceiving compensation from the at least one author for the step oftransforming the video clip. In another aspect, the method includesreceiving a distribution request identifies at least a seconddistribution channel and, on the basis of reception, further comprisesdistributing the video clip via the at least a second distributionchannel. In another aspect, the method includes receiving a first levelof compensation from the at least one author for the step ofdistributing the video clip via the at least one distribution channel.In another aspect, the method includes receiving a second level ofcompensation from the at least one author for the step of distributingthe video clip via the at least a second distribution channel.

These and various other features as well as advantages will be apparentfrom a reading of the following detailed description and a review of theassociated drawings. Additional features are set forth in thedescription which follows, and in part will be apparent from thedescription, or may be learned by practice of the described embodiments.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and areintended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following drawing figures, which form a part of this application,are illustrative of embodiments systems and methods described below andare not meant to limit the scope of the invention in any manner, whichscope shall be based on the claims appended hereto.

FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a system for distributing videoaccording to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of a system for distributing videoaccording o some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of a method for improved mediadistribution according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;and

FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment of a method for distributing videoaccording to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description is intended to convey a thoroughunderstanding of the embodiments described by providing a number ofspecific embodiments and details involving systems and methods fordistributing a media object, such as a video clip. It should beappreciated, however, that the claims appended hereto are nor limited tothese specific embodiments and details, which are exemplary only. It isfurther understood that one possessing ordinary skill in the art, inlight of known systems and methods, would appreciate the applicabilityof this disclosure for its intended purposes and benefits in any numberof alternative embodiments, depending upon specific design and otherneeds.

FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of an architecture 100 for distributingat least one video clip. The architecture 100 illustrated is a networkedclient/server computing architecture in which a rendering device(referred to as a “client”) 102 issues media requests to a remotecomputing device (referred to as a “server”) 120 that responds bytransmitting the requested media content to the client 102 for renderingto a user 106. The systems and methods described herein are suitable foruse with other architectures as will be discussed in greater detailbelow.

The client 102 is alternatively referred to as a rendering device as, inaddition to being able to receive, in some embodiments store, mediacontent transmitted from remote sources, it further is capable ofrendering (playing or displaying) such content to its user. Renderingdevices may be able to load and play different formats of videoincluding MPEG, DivX, Xvid, AMY and SigmaTel Motion Video (SMV); audioincluding MP3, WAV, and Ogg Vorbis; digital images, including BMP, JPEG,and GIF; and interactive media, such as flash animations.

To support this rendering capability, the client 102 may be a singlepurpose device consisting completely or primarily as hardware elementsand, possibly, firmware or unchangeable sets of software instructions.Alternatively, and as shown in FIG. 1, a rendering device may also be acomputing device capable of obtaining and executing different softwareapplications as needed. For the purposes of this disclosure, a computingdevice such as the client 102 or server 120 includes a processor andmemory for storing and executing data and software. Computing devicesmay be provided with operating systems that allow the execution ofsoftware applications in order to manipulate data. In the embodimentshown, the client 102 is a computing device, such as a personal computer(PC), web-enabled personal data assistant (PDA), a smart phone, aportable media player device such as an IPOD, or a smart TV set top box.

In the embodiment shown, the client 102 is connected to the Internet 122via a wired data connection or wireless connection such as a wi-finetwork, a WiMAX (802.16) network, a satellite network or cellulartelephone network. In an alternative embodiment, the client 102 may beconnected to the source of the media content via a private network or adirect connection.

In the embodiment shown, the client 102 includes an application (notshown) for rendering media content. Such applications are commonlyreferred to as media player applications. Examples of such applicationsinclude WINDOWS MEDIA PLAYER and YAHOO! MUSIC JUKEBOX. The media playerapplication, when executed, may generate a graphical user interface(GUI) on a display 104 attached to or part of the computing device 102.Alternatively, the GUI may be a web page provided by the server 120 thatuses the media player in an “embedded” mode. The GUI includes a set ofuser-selectable controls through which the user of the client device 102may control the rendering of the media content. For example, the GUI mayinclude a button control for each of the play-pause-rewind-fast forwardcommands commonly associated with the rendering of media on renderingdevices. By selection of these controls, the user may cause the client102 to render media content from local storage or from a remote source(e.g., a remote database, storage device or server) and control therendering of the content to the user.

The architecture 100 includes a server 120, which may be a single serveror a group of servers acting together. A number of program modules anddata files may be stored in a mass storage device and RAM of the server120, including an operating system suitable for controlling theoperation of a networked server computer, such as the WINDOWS XP orWINDOWS 2003 operating systems from MICROSOFT CORPORATION. The client102 is connected to the server 120 via a network, such as the Internet122 as shown.

The server 120 is a media server that serves requests from the clientfor media content. In an embodiment, the server 120 may be part of amedia file sharing system such as YOUTUBE, through which clients 102 maypost new media content, view media content posted by others and/or postmedia content in response to media content posted by others. In theembodiment shown, the system includes a reception module 124 thatreceives media content, such as a video clip and any related informationsuch as author name, date, time, textual content associated with thevideo clip, etc., from users and stores the content for later retrieval.In the embodiment shown, the system also includes a notification module114 that notifies one or more users about media content that matchessome distribution criteria and that may be distributed via adistribution channel. For example, criteria may include a video'spopularity, length, authorship, etc. where media content comprises avideo. In the embodiment shown, the system further includes a requestmodule 112 whereby a user (e.g., a user notified by notification module114) may request that media content be distributed via one or moredistribution channels. In the embodiment shown, the system also includesa distribution module 116 that interfaces with and distributes the mediacontent via one or more distribution channels.

Such media content may be stored as a discrete media object (e.g., amedia file containing renderable media data that conforms to some knowndata format) that is accessible to the server 120, as a group ofassociated media objects and records, or in some other manner thatfacilitates efficient storage and retrieval by the server 120 of allrelated content. In alternative embodiments, the server 120 may be partof different types of systems, such as communications systems, in whichdifferent media content from different sources may be collected,searched and retrieved to be rendered as a group. In the embodimentshown in FIG. 1, media content takes the form of video content, or whatis commonly referred to as “video clips.” Video clips are segments(typically, but not necessarily, short in length) of video content,which may be stored as discrete media files.

The server 120 is illustrated as being connected to a video database118. The video database 118 stores various video objects that may berequested by the client 102. Local data structures, including discretemedia objects such as media files, may be stored on a mass storagedevice, such as the video database 118. One or more mass storage devicesmay be connected to, or be part of, any of the devices described hereinincluding the client 102 or a server 120. The mass storage deviceincludes some form of computer-readable media and provides non-volatilestorage of data for later use by one or more computing devices. Althoughthe description of computer-readable media contained herein refers to amass storage device, such as a hard disk or CD-ROM drive, it should beappreciated by those skilled in the art that computer-readable media maybe any available media that can be accessed by a computing device.

By way of example, and not limitation, computer-readable media maycomprise computer storage media and communication media. Computerstorage media includes volatile and non-volatile, removable andnon-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storageof information such as computer-readable instructions, data structures,program modules or other data. Computer storage media includes, but isnot limited to, RAM, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other solidstate memory technology, CD-ROM, DVD, or other optical storage, magneticcassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magneticstorage devices, or any other medium which can be used to store thedesired information and that can be accessed by the computer.

In an embodiment, the notification module 114 notifies a first user 108associated with at least one video clip that the video clip may bedistributed via one or more distribution channels. For example, thefirst user may include an author of the video clip. As another example,the first user may include a person owning some right (e.g., thecopyright) to the video clip. In an embodiment, the notification module114 identifies the distribution channels available to the first user108. For example, the notification module 114 may identify distributionchannels such as the Internet, a courier service (e.g., UPS, FederalExpress or the postal service), etc. that may be utilized to distributethe video clip to recipients such as a second user 106 and/or thirdparty distributor 110. The notification module 114 may identify (e.g.,the “SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL”) or describe (e.g., a “film festival”) therecipients to the first user 108. In one aspect, the notification module114 may identify a fee or other information (e.g., legal disclaimers)that the first user must accept prior to acting upon a distributionrequest.

In the embodiment, the request module 112 then receives from the firstuser a request to distribute the at least one video clip via the atleast one distribution channel. Receipt of a request from the first usermay be received in response to notifying the first user by notificationmodule 114 that a video clip may be distributed via one or moredistribution channels. In response to receiving a request, the requestmodule 112 may communicate the request to the distribution module 116that may then distribute the at least one video clip via the at leastone distribution channel. For example, the request from the first usermay identify numerous distribution channels. The distribution module 116may also receive a request from the second user (i.e., recipient of avideo clip), requesting or commanding distribution of the video clip tothe second user. For example, a first user (i.e., an author) may makethe video clip available for distribution amongst at least onedistribution channel, and the second user (i.e., a consumer) may requestor command the distribution of the video clip. Further to this example,the second user may request or command distribution of the video clip inexchange for providing compensation such as paying a one-time orsubscription fee.

FIG. 1 presents one embodiment of a client/server architecture fordistributing media objects such as video. Other embodiments are alsopossible in which some functions or tasks are distributed betweenmultiple modules or provided by remote services. Furthermore, althoughdiscussed in terms of video clips, as mentioned above the architecture100 may equally be adapted to media objects of any type of media contentincluding audio, video and textual. The architecture 100 may further beadapted to generate and stream different types of content in a single,combined video stream so that a viewer issuing a consolidated renderrequest could render all responses regardless of content type forexample, audio content being rendered concurrently with text identifyingthe audio content's author, video content being rendered as describedabove, and textual content being rendered on the display with apredetermined delay to allow for reading, or with a control allowing theviewer to start and stop the rendering of the stream.

FIG. 2 illustrates an alternative embodiment of an architecture fordistributing video. In the architecture 200 shown, a first user, User A202, is an author that submits one or more media objects 204, such asvideo clips or other media content. In an embodiment, the one or moremedia objects 204 may include any additional associated content such astext, tags, descriptors, author identifying information or other contentassociated with the one or more media objects 204. Such additionalcontent may be stored independently and/or remotely from the one or moremedia objects 204.

The one or more media objects 204 are uploaded by User A 202 to a mediaobject capture server 206. The media object capture server 206 thenstores the one or more media objects 204 in a media object store 208. Inone embodiment, the one or more media objects 204 are then published,i.e., made accessible via a communications network such as the Internet,to consumers, Users B-N, 214 via a media object distribution server 210.The media object distribution server 210 may publish the one or moremedia objects such that the Users B-N may access the published one ormore media objects via the communications network. In anotherembodiment, the media object distribution server 210 may publish orotherwise transmit the one or more media objects 204 to a distributor,User X, 212. As one example, the distributor 212 may be associated withpay-per-view and/or other subscription services for allowing consumers214 access (e.g., through a “walled-garden”) to the published one ormore media objects 204.

FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of a method 300 for improved mediadistribution. In an identifying operation 302, the method 300 includesidentifying a video clip matching at least one distribution criteria. Inone embodiment, the identifying operation 302 may involve automaticallyor manually searching through a repository of video clips or other mediacontent that matches or otherwise corresponds to at least onedistribution criteria. Distribution criteria, in the case of video clipsand similar media content, may include identification of a popularityvalue (e.g., the popularity of the video clip to consumers)corresponding to the video clip. For example, a popularity value maycorrespond to the number of consumers consuming (e.g., editing orplaying) the video clip. Distribution criteria may also includecomparing a popularity value or other metric of one video clip to thepopularity value or related metric of another video clip. In anotherembodiment, identifying operation 302 may include identifying a videoclip that matches or corresponds to the number of times the video clipwas rendered (e.g., played or edited) by at least one consumer. In yetanother embodiment, identifying operation 302 may involve identifyingthe length (e.g., playback time) or another property of the video clipitself (e.g., information identifying the author of the video clip).

In a notifying operation 304, one or more authors of a media object suchas a video clip are notified that the media object may be distributedvia one or more distribution channels to a third party (e.g., an enduser, consumer, reseller, etc.). Notification of an author may includedirectly or indirectly notifying one or more persons by email or someother messaging service. In one embodiment, a distribution channel maycomprise a courier service (e.g., the postal service, Federal Express,etc.) and distribution utilizing the courier service may includephysically embodying and distributing the video clip in a physicalmedium (e.g., CD, DVD, etc.). In another embodiment, a distributionchannel may comprise a communications network such as the Internet.Distribution utilizing the Internet may include transmitting copies ofthe media object to one or more users. For example, a video clip may bestreamed or downloaded via an Internet distribution channel by one ormore users. In one embodiment, notifying operation 304 may includenotifying an author of at least one fee associated with distributing thevideo clip via the one or more distribution channels.

In a receiving request operation 306 of the method 300, an authorrequests distribution of the video clip via at least one distributionchannel. The receiving operation 306 may include receiving anidentification of the one or more distribution channels, as well asreceiving compensation (e.g., credit card information) for subsequentdistribution utilizing a distribution channel.

In a distribution operation 308, the video clip is distributed via atleast one distribution channel to a third party. In one embodiment, themethod 300 may further include transformation, of the video clip from afirst format into a second format that is substantially different fromthe first format. For example, a video clip originally in a Quicktime(*.MOV) video format may be transformed (e.g., converted and/orreencoded) into a Flash (*.SWF) video format. In a receivingcompensation operation 308, compensation may be received (e.g., from anauthor) for the distribution of the video clip in distribution operation308. Different levels of compensation may also be received from anauthor for distributing a video clip via multiple distribution channels.

FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment of a method 400 for distributing video.in a receiving request operation 402, the method 400 receives a requestfrom one or more authors (i.e., content creators, etc.) that requestsdistribution of a video clip or other media object to at least oneend-user (i.e., consumer). The request identifies at least onedistribution channel that may be used for distributing the video clip tothe consumer. In a distribution operation 404, the video clip is thendistributed to the consumer. In an embodiment, the method 400 alsoincludes receiving compensation from the consumer in a receivingcompensation operation 406. In another embodiment, the compensationreceived from a consumer in receiving compensation operation 406 may betransferred, at least in part, to the one or more authors or otheroriginators of the media content. Similarly, an author of the video clipmay also provide compensation for the distribution of the media contentvia the one or more distribution channels.

In one aspect of distributing operation 404, the video clip may includedigital rights information that may permit or restrict transfer or otheruse of the video clip. For example, a consumer receiving the video clipmay be allowed to copy the video clip for another consumer. Likewise, aconsumer receiving the video clip may be restricted from certain uses(e.g., inclusion of CGMS-A may prohibit playback on analog videoequipment).

In one embodiment, a distribution channel may also comprise a courierservice (e.g., the postal service, Federal Express, etc.) anddistribution utilizing the courier service may include physicallyembodying and distributing the video clip in a physical medium (e.g.,CD, DVD, etc.). In another embodiment, a distribution channel maycomprise a communications network such as the Internet and distributionutilizing the Internet may include transmitting copies of the video clipto one or more users. For example, a video clip could be streamed ordownloaded via an Internet distribution channel by one or more users.The receiving request operation 402 may also include receiving anidentification of the one or more distribution channels, as well asreceiving compensation (e.g., credit card information) for subsequentdistribution utilizing a distribution channel.

In a distribution operation 404, the video clip is again distributed viaat least one distribution channel to a third party. In one embodiment,the method 400 may further include transformation, of the video clipfrom a first format into a second format that is substantially differentfrom the first format. Different levels of compensation may also bereceived from an author for distributing a video clip via multipledistribution channels in distributing operation 404.

Those skilled in the art will recognize that the methods and systems ofthe present disclosure may be implemented in many manners and as suchare not to be limited by the foregoing exemplary embodiments andexamples. In other words, functional elements being performed by asingle or multiple components, in various combinations of hardware andsoftware or firmware, and individual functions, can be distributed amongsoftware applications at either the client or server level or both. Inthis regard, any number of the features of the different embodimentsdescribed herein may be combined into single or multiple embodiments,and alternate embodiments having fewer than or more than all of thefeatures herein described are possible. Functionality may also be, inwhole or in part, distributed among multiple components, in manners nowknown or to become known. Thus, myriad software/hardware/firmwarecombinations are possible in achieving the functions, features,interfaces and preferences described herein. Moreover, the scope of thepresent disclosure covers conventionally known manners for carrying outthe described features and functions and interfaces, and thosevariations and modifications that may be made to the hardware orsoftware or firmware components described herein as would be understoodby those skilled in the art now and hereafter.

While various embodiments have been described for purposes of thisdisclosure, various changes and modifications may be made which are wellwithin the scope of this disclosure. For example, the author of a videoclip may suggest a price (i.e., to charge a consumer) and preference(i.e., priority) for each type of distribution. As another example, theauthor may identify or suggest the users (i.e., consumers, end-users,resellers, etc.) that are eligible to receive a video clip or the mannerby which users otherwise make use of the video clip.

Numerous other changes may be made which will readily suggest themselvesto those skilled in the art and which are encompassed in the spirit ofthis disclosure and as defined in the appended claims.

1-24. (canceled)
 25. A method comprising: receiving, at a computingdevice from at least one author of a video clip, a request to distributethe video clip to at least one consumer, the request identifying atleast one distribution channel for distributing the video clip to the atleast one consumer; identifying, via the computing device, distributioncriteria associated with the at least one consumer, said distributioncriteria comprising an indication of a number of times the at least oneconsumer has rendered the video clip; comparing, via the computingdevice, a frequency said video clip has been rendered by at least oneother consumer with said distribution criteria; and facilitatingdistributing the video clip to the at least one consumer over the atleast one distribution channel, said distribution occurring upon thefrequency and distribution criteria corresponding to one another. 26.The method of claim 25 further comprising: receiving, from the at leastone consumer, compensation for the step of distributing the video clip;and transferring at least a part of the compensation to the at least oneauthor of the video clip.
 27. The method of claim 25 further comprising:receiving, from the at least one author of the video clip, compensationfor the step of distributing the video clip.
 28. The method of claim 25wherein distributing the video clip to the at least one consumerincludes distribution of digital rights information associated with thevideo clip.
 29. The method of claim 28 wherein the digital rightsinformation permits the at least one consumer to further distribute thevideo clip to at least a second consumer.
 30. The method of claim 25further comprising: identifying the at least one distribution channel tothe at least one author of the video clip. 31-33. (canceled)
 34. Themethod of claim 25 wherein distributing the video clip via the at leastone distribution channel comprises: transmitting the video clip via theInternet to the at least one consumer.
 35. The method of claim 34wherein the video clip is streamed via the Internet to the at least oneconsumer.
 36. The method of claim 25 wherein the step of receiving arequest from the at least one author further comprises: notifying the atleast one author of at least one fee associated with distributing thevideo clip via the at least one distribution channel.
 37. (canceled) 38.The method of claim 25 further comprising: transforming the video clipfrom a first format into a second format that is substantially differentfrom the first format.
 39. The method of claim 38 further comprising:receiving compensation from the at least one author for the step oftransforming the video clip. 40-41. (canceled)
 42. A non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium tangibly encoded with computerexecutable instructions that, when executed by a processor associatedwith a computing device, perform a method comprising: receiving from atleast one author of a video clip, a request to distribute the video clipto at least one consumer, the request identifying at least onedistribution channel for distributing the video clip to the at least oneconsumer; identifying distribution criteria associated with the at leastone consumer, said distribution criteria comprising an indication of anumber of times the at least one consumer has rendered the video clip;comparing a frequency said video clip has been rendered by at least oneother consumer with said distribution criteria; and facilitatingdistributing the video clip to the at least one consumer over the atleast one distribution channel, said distribution occurring upon thefrequency and distribution criteria corresponding to one another. 43.The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 42 furthercomprising: receiving, from the at least one consumer, compensation forthe step of distributing the video clip; and transferring at least apart of the compensation to the at least one author of the video clip.44. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 42further comprising: receiving, from the at least one author of the videoclip, compensation for the step of distributing the video clip.
 45. Thenon-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 42 whereindistributing the video clip to the at least one consumer includesdistribution of digital rights information associated with the videoclip, wherein the digital rights information permits the at least oneconsumer to further distribute the video clip to at least a secondconsumer.
 46. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium ofclaim 42 wherein distributing the video clip via the at least onedistribution channel comprises: transmitting the video clip via theInternet to the at least one consumer, wherein the video clip isstreamed via the Internet to the at least one consumer.
 47. Thenon-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 42 furthercomprising: transforming the video clip from a first format into asecond format that is substantially different from the first format; andreceiving compensation from the at least one author for the step oftransforming the video clip.
 48. A system comprising: at least onecomputing device comprising: memory storing computer-executableinstructions; and one or more processors for executing saidcomputer-executable instructions, comprising: receiving from at leastone author of a video clip, a request to distribute the video clip to atleast one consumer, the request identifying at least one distributionchannel for distributing the video clip to the at least one consumer;identifying distribution criteria associated with the at least oneconsumer, said distribution criteria comprising an indication of anumber of times the at least one consumer has rendered the video clip;comparing a frequency said video clip has been rendered by at least oneother consumer with said distribution criteria; and facilitatingdistributing the video clip to the at least one consumer over the atleast one distribution channel, said distribution occurring upon thefrequency and distribution criteria corresponding to one another. 49.The system of claim 48, further comprising: receiving, from the at leastone consumer, compensation for the step of distributing the video clip;and transferring at least a part of the compensation to the at least oneauthor of the video clip.
 50. The system of claim 48, whereindistributing the video clip via the at least one distribution channelcomprises: transmitting the video clip via the Internet to the at leastone consumer, wherein the video clip is streamed via the Internet to theat least one consumer.